#Patagonia

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From Madrid to Tucson: The 2023 Komoot Women’s Arizona Rally

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From Madrid to Tucson: The 2023 Komoot Women’s Arizona Rally

Last fall Cristina Maristany joined 70 other riders from all over the world in the Sonoran Desert for the Komoot Women’s Arizona Rally designed and hosted by Lael Wilcox and Rue Kaladyte. Over eight days, the self-supported group camped under the stars and overcame the challenge of traveling through remote zones with limited food and water. The total route was over 400 miles (650km) and 25,000ft (7,600m) of elevation through breathtaking Southern Arizona landscapes.

Below, Cristina recaps this spectacular ride with her own wonderful photos, in addition to a gallery from event photographer Ashley Gruber, and a video she produced about the rally….

72 Hours in Patagonia, Arizona: A Ventum Racing x Coyote Collective Project

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72 Hours in Patagonia, Arizona: A Ventum Racing x Coyote Collective Project

In October of 2021, I pulled my truck into Patagonia, Arizona for the very first time. I had no real agenda (other than ride bikes, take photos, and sample the local draft list), and no inkling how important this place would soon become in my story. Spotting the liveliest-looking spot in the 1-horse town center, I walked over and was promptly greeted by Heidi Rentz Ault – “Are you here for the Grand Opening?” She was talking about Patagonia Lumber Company, the new bar, music venue, and coffee house cooked up by her and her husband Zander Ault. The doors were due to open for the first time in 1 minute, and by pure luck I became customer number 1. The kind folks at the bar then pulled me an IPA from nearby Tombstone, Arizona.

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72 Hours in Patagonia, Arizona

72 Hours in Patagonia, Arizona is the latest project from The Coyote Collective in collaboration with Ventum Racing.

“If you’ve stepped into gravel cycling lately, chances are you’ve heard of “Patagonia.” No, not that Patagonia. This small Arizona town, nestled 18 miles north of the US-Mexico border boasts some of the country’s best gravel roads, breakfast burritos, and community gathering spaces.”

Next week, we’ll be featuring a full photo gallery and project backstory from the Coyote/Ventum team, so stay tuned!

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Public Trust Feature Film | The Fight for America’s Public Lands

The latest from Patagonia resonates with the current administration’s mission to auction off public lands to the highest bidder. It’s a long one but well worth the watch. Here’s the synopsis:

“Despite support from voters across the political spectrum, our public lands face unprecedented threats from extractive industries and the politicians in their pockets. Part love letter, part political exposé, Public Trust investigates how we arrived at this precarious moment through three heated conflicts—a national monument in the Utah desert, a mine in the Boundary Waters and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—and makes a case for their continued protection.”

Take action to protect our public lands. Text DEFEND to 71333.

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Becoming Ruby

The latest from Patagonia is not to be missed!

A film about inclusion, identity, and hand-drawn heroes. If you can’t find a hero, create your own; for mountain biker, skier and artist Brooklyn Bell, that hand-drawn hero was a comic character named Ruby J. Using Ruby as a role model, Brooklyn set out to “live like her, breathe like her, be unapologetically black like her,” finding her own identity in a mix of dirt, snow, art and inclusion.

The End of the Andean Road

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The End of the Andean Road

When I started this trip through South America almost 3 years ago I had no idea what to expect. My bicycle “touring” experience could all be summed up in a tumultuous three week trip to Perú where I spent half of the time with my head hovering over a toilet while suffering from typhoid and a quick one week trip through Norway that resulted in an emergency room visit with frostbite on my toes that still affects me today. I was working on roughly a 5% success rate. Would I quit my “stable job” of almost ten years only to head off into the Andes all by myself and realize that this just wasn’t my thing? Come crawling back a few weeks later, asking for a do-over? I honestly had no idea and these were extremely realistic possibilities in my mind. All I knew was that I’d regret it if I didn’t try.

The Carretera Austral and the Bush Plane

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The Carretera Austral and the Bush Plane

The Carretera Austral is without a doubt South America’s bicycle touring capital. No place on this continent sees a higher influx of Ortlieb-clad folks from around the world looking to enjoy Patagonia’s natural wonders. With good reason too. There’s a more advanced tourist infrastructure, bringing more luxuries from back home more frequently along the way (toilets and hot showers are cool). The challenge-to-scenery ratio along the Austral is also extremely generous, and the road surface suits just about any bike you can strap a few bags to. You don’t have to suffer too much to have a good time in nature here.

Fording the Río Pico

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Fording the Río Pico

If you had told me 5 years ago that I’d be riding across a 7-foot deep river in Argentinian Patagonia on a horse with a bike hoisted on top, I would have probably said you’ve gone off the deep end, yet here we are.

A Promising Introduction to Riding in Patagonia

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A Promising Introduction to Riding in Patagonia

While I’d already been into the area that is technically considered Patagonia a couple of times by this point, entering towns like Pucón in Chile, and San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina marked a noticeable shift from all of the regions I’d been in previously, which still felt largely unchanged by tourism. It was still quite early in the season for the hordes of travelers to have taken over these places, but the signs are there. Fancy chocolate shops. Overpriced hostels. Cafes on every street corner selling $8 artisanal muffins to a looping soundtrack of Adele and Sam Smith.

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PATAGÓN by Montanus

This is a good one!

“Patagón is the video that tells the adventure of Montanus during the bike and packraft exploration of a remote area of southern Patagonia, where, between the Austral Andes and the huge glacial lakes, the traditional Argentine culture of the gauchos still survives.”

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Beyond Trails Atacama

“Every new trail you travel on or off the beaten path brings uncertainty. Riding bikes in a place like this forces you to pay attention to the terrain, listen closely to suggestions on how to move through it. Instead of success and failure you became to think in terms of adaptation and forward motion.”

Lorraine Blancher explores the mountain bike trails on the border of Argentina and Chile, known as the Atacama.

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Patagonia Action Works

For almost 40 years, Patagonia has been involved in some way with environmental activism. This week they launched Action Works, an online portal to connect you to localized grassroots activism. See more at Action Works.

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The Last Hill

“Searching for an honest adventure right out their backdoor, a group of skiers and snowboarders travel south from Reno, Nevada on bicycles loaded down with ski and camp gear. Their sights on Mt. Whitney and the endless backcountry ski terrain along the way, these off-the-couch bikers hilariously struggle to keep both wheels moving along the iconic Highway 395 from a new angle: the Sierra saddle vista.”

Bravo, Patagonia!